Hi-Tech Hijack (4 page)

Eddie’s parents waited for their youngest child at the airport and wrapped him up in a warm embrace. They knew their son’s adventurous drive very well and were grateful to see him return from his African escapade safe and sound.

Eddie planned on a week’s rest at his parents’ house in the picturesque Hefer Valley before slipping into the routine of his new job at Biotec.com. He had already signed the contract before going on his trip.

As a nature lover, Eddie had always known he would be in that field and signed up for Biology studies at Jerusalem Hebrew University. At the age of twenty-nine and after five years of intensive studies, he was done with his master’s degree and was made an offer he couldn’t refuse—to join one of the new biotechnology companies that had been funded two years prior from a leading Israeli venture capital fund.

Biotec.com, set up in one of the impressive buildings at the Ness Ziona industrial park, already had thirty employees, most of whom had been working there for only one year. The company’s CEO was one of Eddie’s professors, Dr. Hakmon, who had left a promising scientific career in order to build the company. Dr. Hakmon was considered a guru in his field and was widely appreciated around the world. When he decided to start the company to develop his research into a salable drug, he had no difficulties raising the necessary funds. In fact, he was in the position to choose between the managers of several venture capital funds, all leading companies in the life sciences field, and negotiated with some of them for many months before accepting what he thought was the best offer. The fund received 25 percent of the stocks in exchange for a significant amount of money that was meant to enable the fruition of a finished product within five years.

“It’s a very interesting offer, but I’ll only be able to give my final answer in six months,” Eddie responded when the position of team leader in the company’s R&D department was offered to him.

“I’m not sure we can wait that long.”

“I’m leaving next week on a trip to Africa for several months to go on safari and conquer some peaks like Kilimanjaro.”

“I thought your big trip to South America would have been enough,” said the human resources manager who called him in to the interview.

“I thought so, too, but it turns out the batteries are empty and need recharging,” Eddie replied, holding back the real reason for his attraction to Africa. The human resources manager was impressed by Eddie’s personality and suggested that Dr. Hakmon, the CEO, join the meeting to try and convince Eddie to join the company.

“You need more than just scientists; you need leaders,” she told Dr. Hakmon. “People who can lead teams and make them believe in the company’s vision, even in times of crisis and uncertainty when development is struggling to take off. Eddie is this type of a leader. His military background proves it, and we can’t afford to let him go.”

“I agree,” said Dr. Hakmon. “He was very active at the faculty as well. I believe he was the secretary of academics at the student union and did a very good job standing up to the professors and protecting the rights of students who had been wronged in any way. That’s part of the reason I wanted him to come and work for us. I think you’re right. It won’t harm us too much to give him the six months he wants. The important thing is to have him in the company before the start of the next fiscal year.”

After a short negotiation with Eddie, Dr. Hakmon made a suggestion. “Let’s finalize a contract now specifying the starting date after your return six months from now. We’ll be willing to wait for you.”

Eddie had no reason to refuse. With a signed contract for his first job, he left on his trip in search of Ebola.

The day after his return to Israel, Eddie called Biotec.com to schedule his first day of work for the following week. It was Monday around noon, yet no one answered. He kept calling, making sure he had the right number, but got no answer. Failing to make direct contact, he thought he’d check with a friend from the faculty whom he knew also joined the company after graduation. He had the number of her parents’ house, and her mother answered.

“Orit is out of the country. Who’s asking?”

“Eddie, I’m a friend from university.”

“Oh, hello, Eddie. I’ve heard about you. You’re the one who went to Africa. Don’t you know Orit is in California in Santa Monica?”

“Santa Monica? What is she doing there? I thought she was working for Biotec.com,” said Eddie, surprised.

“I thought you knew the company moved there three months ago. Orit said you’re supposed to go there as well. I got the sense she was looking forward to you joining them there.”

“I had no idea. I just got back from Africa. I didn’t know,” Eddie mumbled in bewilderment. “Could you give me her number there?”

“Absolutely, I know she’d love to hear from you. Wait one moment while I find it”. It took a minute and then Orit’s mother was again on the phone. “Tell her Mom says hi. I won’t be talking to her until Saturday. And if you do fly over there, give her a warm hug and a kiss from me. I know she’s fond of you and won’t refuse a kiss from Mom with you as the delivery man.” Orit’s Jewish and concerned mother made a nudge in the right direction to help find a suitable match for her still-single twenty-six-year-old daughter.

“Thanks. I will with pleasure.” Eddie went along to please the mother and said good-bye.

It was still too early—2:00 p.m. in Israel—to call the United States, so Eddie spent the next few hours confused and quite angry. What happened to the company that was referred to as the big promise of the Israeli life sciences industry that caused it to transfer to the United States so quickly? Why wasn’t he informed? Then again, they had no way of contacting him. But he expected a letter to his parents’ house, at the very least, to inform him of the dramatic change. He leafed through the mail that had stacked up during his six-month absence but saw no envelope with the Biotec.com logo. He couldn’t bring himself to go through the mail properly and open the letters yet.

He felt confused and deceived, as if he were taken for a fool. This wasn’t a feeling he wanted to share with anyone, so he chose not to call faculty friends who had graduated together with him and Orit and were already working for other companies in the field, friends who would probably be able to fill him in on what was going on with Biotec.com. He didn’t want to appear helpless like he’d been caught off guard because he knew that in this field there were scouts, headhunters, and human resources managers who would jump on the opportunity of snatching him up cheaply in a moment of weakness. He chose to wait ’til the evening and get the story straight from Orit.

The phone in Orit’s apartment in Santa Monica rang at 8:00 a.m. sharp. She had already come back from her morning jog along the amazing boardwalk, winding down the low cliff overlooking the Pacific. The boardwalk adorned with twisted-trunked pine trees growing in all sorts of strange shapes and forms resembled an endless series of surreal environmental sculptors. The paths zigzagging between the trees and grass reminded Orit of the lanes at the
kibbutz
where she grew up. The resemblance ended however with the homeless people squatting under every third tree. This scene reminded Orit of what a cut-throat, demanding surrounding she was now living in—a place where those who do not fight, who do not have what it takes, do not survive.

She took a shower and sat down with her usual cup of herbal tea before heading out to the central labs of Biogreen Company, situated in the eastern part of the city.

“Good morning, Orit.” A voice greeted her in Hebrew without divulging its identity.

“Good morning. Who’s this?” Orit asked, as she had gotten used to receiving calls from Israel only on the weekends.

“Just some guy who’s missing a company and some company.”

It took her no more than a second to realize who the speaker was. “Eddie! What’s up? When did you get back from Africa?” She was delighted to hear his voice.

“I got back the other day, and I called the company today to schedule starting work next week, but couldn’t reach anyone. What’s going on?”

“Don’t ask. I can laugh about it now, but I’ve had an awful couple of months before I even figured out what was what. Plus three more months of being here trying to get used to the new situation and enjoy it.”

“So start at the beginning. What happened?”

“What happens all over the hi-tech industry with these dodgy venture funds. The capital invested in us by the Israeli fund ran out much quicker than was planned .Then an American fund, one of the biggest in its field, took over the company by putting in an amount that gave it fifty-one percent of the shares. They’re backing many other companies obviously, but define us, Biotec.com that is, as the crown jewel of all their investments.”

“Ok, but that still doesn’t explain why you moved to Santa Monica.”

“The Americans adore Dr. Hakmon, and they offered him the position of the fund’s head scientist. He said they conditioned their investment on him taking the position and moving here. So for him to still be able to lead the company and manage the development, the decision was made to relocate the entire company. We were all given a relocation grant to cover all the expanses, a budget for three years of rent, and our paychecks are now in dollars, not shekels. Out of the entire group that was defined essential to development—that is fifteen of the thirty who were offered this arrangement—thirteen jumped at the opportunity. The only two who didn’t come did so because of family issues.”

“So for a fistful of dollars the Israeli brain drain continues,” said Eddie, raining on Orit’s parade of excitement.

“Eddie, come on. We live in a global, boundless world,” Orit answered with the appropriate cliché. “You can’t confine the knowledge to the borders of Israel. In any case, it was all American money to begin with. And the main target market is here, too.”

“I didn’t realize you’d become an expert in accounting,” said Eddie cynically.

“Don’t be nasty—it does not suit you. After the first shock of the relocation, I realized that few years here will contribute a lot to my career and to my CV. You will discover there are other nice and pleasant places to live in besides Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.”

“I am not sure your mother would agree with you.” Eddie smiled, trying to get out of a tough discussion.

“Well, who can blame her? She misses me and frankly, I feel the same way. And like every good Jewish mother, she’s worried I’ll meet some guy and marry off, so your coming here will decrease the chances of me wandering off into foreign territories. . .”

“Is that an official marriage proposal?” asked Eddie, laughing shyly.

“Come on, Eddie, be serious,” said Orit, ignoring his question. “Before we moved here, they asked me what I thought was the best way to let you know and if you would like to make the move as well. The director of human resources suggested that rather than sending an impersonal letter from the company I should write to you personally as a more pleasant way of learning of the surprise. I was happy to oblige and promised them I’d write to you as soon as I saw with my own eyes what it was like to be here, which was what I did. We really need you here, Eddie. We need someone with your skills to lead the team.”

Eddie was flattered. He never realized how highly the beautiful Orit thought of him. He also never dared to think of her in romantic terms.

“I never received any letter or notice from you.”

“What? Don’t tell me you didn’t get my letter!”

“Wait a minute, wait a minute. There’s a pile of unopened letters sitting on my desk at my parents’ house. I wanted to feel like I was still on vacation for a few more days before getting into the thick of things.”

“So that didn’t work out exactly as planned. . . you could have saved yourself the shock, or at least be over it by now.”

“No need to chase after bad news . . .”

“I wish you didn’t see it that way. You should come here and see for yourself that you’re wrong about this. With the letter I sent you I enclosed a form from the company with all the necessary details and information of whom you should contact in Israel in order to join us here.”

“I just got back from Africa, and moving to the States hardly feels like something I want to do now. Plus this whole thing where the employees are puppets in Dr. Hakmon’s business opportunities doesn’t sound like something I’d want to be part of.”

“And what about me, Eddie?” Orit asked in a flirty tone.

“Are you asking for real?” Eddie hesitated.

“Of course I am!”

“Orit, we studied together for six years, and you never gave me the slightest signal. You were with that guy from social studies and had all those other guys following you around. So where is this coming from?”

“Things between me and Yoni, the guy from social studies, ended a long time ago at the beginning of last year. And if you were a bit more sensitive, you’d have noticed I spent pretty much the entire final year of our studies trying to get close to you. Why do you think I joined Biotec.com in the first place?”

“Orit, I’m totally blown away. Why am I hearing of this just now?”

“Read my letter and you’ll understand.”

“Perhaps I should do that because right now all I’m feeling is confusion and anger.”

“At me, Eddie?”

“No, absolutely not! At myself, at Dr. Hakmon for playing with people’s lives, and just in general.”

The two of them fell into an awkward silence, and then Eddie spoke in a softer tone. “Let’s say good-bye for now. You’re probably late for work, and I have a lot of thinking to do. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

“I get up early. You can call me at six thirty a.m. here. I’ll give up my morning jog for you.”

“What’s with all this running? Has the American junk food already taken its toll on your figure?”

“Laugh all you want, but I’m fighting tooth and nail.”

“I’m sure you’re just as beautiful and attractive as you’ve ever been.”

“Wow, a compliment from Eddie at last! You’ve made my day.” And before he could comment, she said, “So we’ll talk tomorrow. I really do have to run.” She hung up before any more talking could break away the magic that began forming between them.